Mixed conditionals · unless · provided that
Negotiate outcomes: unreal present results from past actions, and formal if-alternatives for deals.
Unit 2 persuasion and negotiation vocabulary. You know conditionals 1–3 from A2–B1 Unit 10. B2 adds mixed patterns and formal linkers for professional deals.
A — Sample sentences
Words like concede a point, break the impasse, meet halfway, bargaining chip, and the bottom line.
1) Mixed conditional — past condition → present result
If + past perfect, would + base verb (now).
- If we had conceded a point on price earlier, we would not be in a deadlock now.
- If they had made a compelling case in Q1, the board would trust them today.
- If we hadn't stood firm on security, we would regret it now.
- If the pilot had swayed opinion sooner, we would meet halfway on terms today.
2) Mixed conditional — present condition → past result
If + past simple, would have + past participle.
- If we were flexible on training dates, we would have broken the impasse last week.
- If I were the finance director, I would have rejected the first offer.
- If the bottom line were clearer, they would have signed already.
- If we drove a harder bargain, we would have kept our main bargaining chip.
3) unless · provided that · as long as
- We won't sign unless they meet halfway on support costs.
- We can close today provided that legal approves the revised clause.
- We will stand firm on data standards as long as the client accepts the timeline.
- Unless we break the impasse, the deal will fall through.
The rest of this lesson is in the General English course:
- B — Quick reference
Try it: Complete the conditional
Choose the best form.
- If we ___ the impasse last month, we would not be renegotiating now.
(a) break (b) had broken (c) would break - If I ___ more flexible on price, I would have won over the client already.
(a) am (b) were (c) had been - We cannot sign ___ Legal reviews the data clause.
(a) unless (b) whereas (c) so that
Check your answers in the course — it marks them instantly. This is one of the unit's 2 exercises; the other one is in the General English course too.
Practise this unit in the course →